Another Possibility
by Letzte
Summary: Lambda sees Ragna in Orient Town, and is drawn to him... Slight Ragna x Lambda.


**A/N: So, usually people talk about how busy they've been when they've been gone a while here, but the truth is, I haven't been busy at all. Just lazy! But anyway, about this story. I really liked it when I first thought of it, but after a little ways in I realized how painfully little I knew about Lambda and whatnot, so writing became incredibly hard, and after a while I felt like I sort of just gave up. Still, I am curious to see what people think about it, 'cause I was trying pretty hard the rest of the time!**

The moonlight filtered through the building tops and slanted over the roads, but Lambda didn't notice this as she walked down the streets. Nor did she notice the hum of the crowds or the clack of shoes hitting the pavement or the brightly lit signs illuminating Orient Town. Or rather, Lambda could not notice these things, for her mind could only focus on fulfilling the mission given to her. Lambda continued down the streets, unaffected by her surroundings, the people passing her by with long, curious stares.

Over the rumbles of voices was a sudden loud beep, and Lambda stopped. Kokonoe's voice flared loudly into Lambda's mind, but with speech broken by static. "Lam... da, re... -ck to... dieatly... is, is ur-..." The scientist's voice became enveloped by static.

"Interference detected. Attempting to secure line," Lambda murmured. Detecting a sense of urgency in Kokonoe's voice, Lambda started working as quickly as she could manage, but the static and blaring suddenly erased into a white silence. "Connection lost. Attempting to retrace connection." Lambda began to try and locate the signal, but it seemed to be lost. Her face seemed to melt into an expression reminiscent of a frown, and as she was about to re-scan the area when she detected a few strange presences. "Huh?" Lambda scanned them but came up with nothing.

She began to move toward them, propelled by a strange force. But why, she thought; it wasn't any kind of order. She didn't detect any outside forces propelling her forward, either. "Unable to process," she noted, as she bumped into someone, but didn't stop. And soon she found herself in front of some sort of restaurant, where the signals were definitely coming from, burning now on the radar brightly. Lambda went up to the long glass windows and peered inside, scanning the tables.

Something inside Lambda froze over when her eyes set on him, and some distant part of her memory began to itch. Who was he? The itch turned into a tug, as if she know this man, but the information seemed so out of reach, so transient, passing through her systems like vapor. "Attempting to retrieve file... File not found. Searching database for information on target... Access denied." If she had no data then what was this sensation? Lambda ran a quick scan of herself, but everything was in perfect function. "Unprocessable. This... is?" Lambda mused, staring at the man.

"6'1", 172 pounds. Silver hair? In possesion of- Huh?" Lambda quickly saved the information to a file, and turned her attention to the other presence, one that was disappearing rapidly. Across the table from the man. "Target identified as Sankishin." A strange, flaming sort of twinge ripped through Lambda as she looked at the girl, a strange internal feeling that she could not place. Lambda ran another scan over her systems, this time a more extensive one. "All systems normal... Am I... malfunctioning?"

"Hey, Lambda!" The murakumo unit snapped to attention; it was Kokonoe, and there was more irritince in her voice than usual. "What the hell do you think you're doing? God, this is... Agh. Just get back to the lab now, okay?" Kokonoe clicked off.

"... Understood," Lambda answered quietly to no one.

When Lambda opened her eyes she was back in the lab, Kokonoe standing over her, staring. All of Lambda's delicate systems and sensors were activated, and all of the strange things she had been perceiving yesterday were gone. Lambda went still, awaiting instructions from Kokonoe, who had since turned away and was now staring at a computer screen filled with data. Lambda reviewed the events of yesterday; they were somehow slightly muddled. "Query," Lambda started. The scientist turned to her with a soft, irritated noise. "Am I... malfunctioning?" she asked plainly.

Kokonoe gave Lambda a long, apprehensive stare before replying. "No, you're fine. At least, you're data's reading normal." Kokonoe turned to a desk and began shuffling through a large pile of papes. "Now, listen, tokay I need you to go pick up something in Orient Town, got it?" Kokonoe, having found the paper she was looking for, snatched it and fed it into a machine connected to Lambda. The details of the order papped into her memory, and Lambda saved them to a file.

"Understood," Lambda confirmed solemnly, leaving the lab. She reappeared in a distant, lifeless side street which Lambda confirmed to be in Orient Town, but... She referenced the address of her destination. The other side of the town. "Searching for directions to destination." Lambda began a search for maps, but part of her was still wondering how she had been so off. It would have to be reported to the professor, but where was the connection? "Locating conne-" Lambda felt a warm, familiar sensation in her core. It was the presence on the radar again, the presence of the man she could not remember. Automatically again Lambda went toward him, but soon forced herself to stop and stand stationary for a moment, as if deciding.

But the reading was growing fainter and somewhere deep inside a confusing part of Lambda decided that this was no time to assess her options, and she continued on with a doubled pace. As she grew closer the sensation grew stronger, but Lambda still could not identify it's roots. And then she turned the corner and there he wasm the man she only felt she knew, the man who seemed familiar but was so distant, the man who was... "Rag... na?" At the girl's uncertain call the man turned to face her. "Ragna," Lambda said again.

The man, Ragna, gasped. "What the hell?" he demanded. And in a darker tone he added, "Nu?" His stance turned defensive.

"Threat detected... Ragna," she repeated.

"Tch. I don't have time for this..." Ragna muttered. He drew his sword, intent on attack.

"Defensive systems... deactivated. Termination protocol... denied." Lambda couldn't bring herself to attack the man, even if it meant her destruction. "Why...?"

Ragna jolted slightly, but then stared at Lambda for a moment, as if having a brief internal debate, and then made a brief, irritated noise. "Whatever. I have better things to do than deal with you, anyway." Ragna turned and started to walk away.

"Wait," Lambda called, but he continued on. "Ragna..." He was leaving her. Something sinking, rippling crossed her mind, and she gave herself a quick futile scan, but it was again something internal, too internal to locate, that she didn't understand... After a beat of silence, Lambda began to follow Ragna.

It was a few blocks before Ragna realized Lambda was following him. He spun around. "You again? What the hell are you doing?" Lambda sensed the anger and irritance in his tone, but under it echoed tiredness.

"Following target."

"What? Why?" Ragna loosened his stance but grit his teeth.

"Searching... Motive not found."

"Well, then, quit following me!" Ragna said, but he seemed without conviction. He began walking again.

"Order denied." Lambda trailed after him, and Ragna didn't turn back around, just simply sighed. Suddenly, Lambda stopped, sensing a small distortion. Soon after the same girl from yesterday materialized in front of Ragna, and Lambda felt that same strange twinge that she had felt yesterday. She didn't bother to scan herself.

"Why, hello, Ragna," said the girl, smiling almost mockingly. Ragna looked as if his organs were cringing up, which is to say, less than pleased.

"Oh, great! Yeah, this is EXACTLY what I need right now. What the hell do you want, rabbit?"

"Oh!" her parasol gasped. "That is no way to greet the princess!"

The girl's bat bobbed up and down. "What a mean man... But I guess that makes him similar to-" Rachel's hand moved to slap Gii out of pure reflex.

"Oh, my! It seems Kokonoe's toy has taken quite a liking to you, Ragna," said Rachel, giggling.

"What? Kokonoe...?" Ragna muttered. "Well, whatever. Tell Kokonoe to make that thing stop following me around!"

Rachel tsked. "My, you are dense, aren't you? And with no idea how to treat a lady. That "thing", as you so rudely referred to her as, is Lambda 11."

"Lambda...?"

Rachel shook her head slowly and looked to Lambda. "My, what a poor doll. Drawn to such a vulgar and stupid man!"

"Ragna." Lambda's voice was soft. She moved forward next to Ragna and extended an arm in front of him protectively. An aura of dislike radiated from her. Ragna staggered back instinctively.

"Hmph. It seems the doll is not fond of me. Very well, then, I suppose I should take my leave."

"Hey, wait! Rabbit!" Ragna began to dash after the girl but she was already gone. "At least take Lambda back to Kokonoe. I don't need her following me around! Rachel!" There was a beat of silence, then Ragna sighed and looked at Lambda. "This... sucks."

"Opinion recorded."

Lambda followed Ragna as he began to walk again, intent on simply ignoring her. Lambda's mind remained mostly blank; she had given up on trying to figure out anything about the strange sensations and this "Ragna" quire a while ago. She didn't, at first, notice that they were headed to the same restaurant that she had first seen Ragna at just yesterday evening. She stopped out front and watched him go inside and sit from the large glass window again. The entire area was quite and almost empty now, a stark contrast to the evening before.

From inside Ragna stared out at Lambda. She couldn't quite tell, but it was as if he was having an internal conflict of some sort. After a few long seconds Ragna got up, opened the door and called irritatedly, "Don't just stand there." Then he added, more gently, "Come and sit with me, okay?"

"Acknowledged."

And so Lambda was at the table across from Ragna. She briefly considered the soft, fluttering sensation inside her, but just as briefly disregarded it. "Ragna," she felt herself saying. He leaned back in his chair.

"Yeah, yeah, jeez, how many times are you gonna say my name?" Ragna sighed. "Seriously, just go back to Kokonoe already."

"Who are you?" Lambda asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Who are you? Why do I know you? Why... Why do I break inside when I am around you...? Why...?" Lambda's voice grew small. "Why? Ragna, please..." Her voice dissolved into Saya's, and a look of acute shock and evident pain flashed over Ragna.

"Lambda," Ragna mumbled gently. He tentatively reached out and put his hand on her shoulder, but the motion seemed natural. "Listen... You need to go back to Kokonoe. I'll take you there, so... Just cut it out, all right?"

"Denied." Lambda's voice was fading back to it's regular state. She was already ignoring the warm, damp feeling she had, and was forcing herself to ignore the burning sensation Ragna's hand gave her.

He sighed and let go of her shoulder. No way he could deal with Lambda hanging around him, it was too... Ragna jolted. "Allied unit detected," Lambda noted.

"The hell? Ragna listened closer to the heavy footsteps and realization lit up his face. "God damn," he said, gripping the hilt of his sword and heading for the door.

"Don't leave me..." Lambda whispered, and the long, warm, slightly lonely feeling inside her told her to protect Ragna. She bolted after him.

"Ragna the Bloodedge." Tager confirmed. "Where is Lambda 11?" Lambda burst out of the door and stood close in front of Ragna.

"Lambda! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kokonoe's voice crackled angrily to the trio. "Get your ass back to the lab, now!"

"Denied."

"What! Ugh, I was hoping to avoid this, but fine. Tager! Grab her!"

"Understood, Kokonoe."

"Threat detected. Activating termination protocol." Lambda uploaded her battle data, but suddenly felt a hand grasp her shoulder. "Ragna?

"Lambda, what are you doing? You're gonna get yourself destroyed!" Ragna's voice was urgent... worried. A chord struck somewhere deep inside of Lambda.

"Protecting target. Ragna..." She waited for Ragna's response. Kokonoe muttered for Tager to cease; she needed to see what was going on. Ragna made an irritated noise and jerked Lambda aside.

"Lambda... just go back, already." And suddenly it was all too much for Lambda. She crashed into Ragna, trying to hold him close. A variety of feelings swept over her but she had stopped caring a while ago and cared even less now.

"No," she squeaked, her voice Saya's. "Ragna, I don't want to leave you..." But her body was limp and defeated. She felt Kokonoe starting up her transport. Ragna gently wrapped his arms around Lambda and sighed. "Ragna."

"Seeing you is painful, you know...?" Ragna murmured as Lambda disappeared from his arms. "Saya..."

When Lambda woke back up she was in a dark space. She felt empty inside, as if she had been wiped like a slate, but it wasn't comforting despite the fact that Lambda never had figured out those feelings. She listened closely, and could hear Kokonoe talking to someone. "Yeah," she heard. "It's a pain, but it looks like I'll have to block her memory. Erase it? There's no time!" And then there was silence.

Lambda soon felt some of her systems go offline, and things grew to be even darker. "Ragna... I promise I won't leave you..." Lambda murmured, and she seeped into oblivion.

**A/N: So, for anyone who is curious as to my future plans... Well, honestly, I'm not quite sure myself. I suppose I should finish that other fic, but I actually lost the script and haven't been motivated enough to write the rest all over again. I've actually been itching to write Rachel x Valkenhayn, but that seems like it would be really hard and no one would read it anyway. Perhaps I'll write some yaoi? I'll probably just end up doing something completely different, though, anyway, 'cause I'm all indecisive like that.**


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